


Turbulent Trust

by Someone_is_Anonymous



Category: Purple Hyacinth - Ephemerys & Sophism (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Angst Lauki, Another deal?, But also some soft times, D.L. is mentioned, Don't trust happiness in PH, Kieran messed up..., Kym is smart, Kym needs watermelons at all times, We love procrastinator Kym, soft kywi, you know how it is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:07:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26934835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Someone_is_Anonymous/pseuds/Someone_is_Anonymous
Summary: Kym has had her theories about the identity of Lune, and now it's time to confront them. But, like many things, it won't be as simple as it sounds.All she wanted was to ask about Lune, but she finds out more than anticipated.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this two months ago, but other ones got in the way of finishing this. But, I finally finished, and kind of want to continue someday after these chapters.  
> There are four chapters, each with different points of views of the main four. I figured it would make more sense dividing them into separate chapters.  
> And I don’t actually think that this is how it’s going to go. The idea popped in my mind and I decided to roll with it.  
> Hope you enjoy!

Lauren’s P.O.V. 

It was dark, quiet, and late at night in the Ardhalis Police Department. Lauren and Kym were the only ones in the office working on paperwork.

Eyelids heavy, Lauren fought to keep them open. She needed to finish. Kym did too. It surprised Lauren that her friend chose to stay later to finish her dreaded paperwork. 

“You know, Kym. Good job for actually doing paperwork right now,” Lauren told her.

“Hmm? Oh yes, _paperwork_ ,” she responded with what sounded like her mouth was full of food.

Lauren turned her head towards Kym, who had her feet on the desk and was eating a watermelon.

“Of course. I should have known,” a slight smile formed on Lauren’s face. She tapped her pencil on her friend’s desk beside her. “Do your paperwork.”

“I will. Maybe I’ll come back early in the morning and finish.”

“Or... you could finish now and get it over with.”

“How about,” taking a bite of her watermelon, “no.”

Lauren shrugged. “Your decision. When Will gets mad, don’t blame me.”

“Willame can get mad all he wants. It’ll only make me not want to finish even more.”

Lauren was about to resume her paperwork, until Kym’s shoes thumped the floor.

“Actually, Lauren, there’s a reason why I’ve been eating this delicious masterpiece of a watermelon instead of doing my paperwork.”

Lauren turned to face her again.

“Because I...” her voice and gaze grew serious. “I’ve been trying to decide how to say this.”

_When Kym is serious, you know something is up._

Lauren couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. “What is it?”

Kym fiddled with the watermelon in her hand for a bit, until she looked her dead in the eyes, and said, “I know you’re Lune.”

Lauren froze. She didn’t want to seem nervous or found out but she couldn’t help it when her eyes shot open.

_How? How does she know? I’ve been careful and haven’t been leaving fingerprints._

She forced a grin and laughed. “Me? Lune? No way. Why would _I_ be Lune?”

“I don’t have to have your ability to know you’re lying. I _know_ you’re Lune,” her brown eyes became soft again. “And it’s okay.”

Lauren felt a wave of relief. “Really?”

“Yeah. I’ve always said Lune’s been such a great help to the police department. And you probably have good reasons.” Kym bounced out of her chair. “So how’d you do it? Catching all those criminals that quickly? Without getting caught? And infuriating Hermann? That must have been fun. I mean, not like you don’t already infuriate him on a daily basis because he’s judgemental and biased. But anyways, what gave you the idea to go undercover- oh is this why you don’t sleep-”

Lauren chuckled. “Slow down. This is too much to comprehend right now. Are we even the only ones here right now?”

“If others were here, I wouldn’t bring this up.” Kym sat back in her chair. “I do have one more important question though. Who’s the other half of Lune?”

Lauren’s golden eyes grew pensive. “It’s... complicated. I don’t know why I thought it was a good idea at the time. I never should have teamed up with him.”

“With who?” Kym asked.

“With no one,” Lauren sighed. “I think I should head home now. So, I’ll see you in the morning.”

Kym dashed in front of Lauren before she could leave her chair. “Woah, woah, woah, wait. You can’t just leave before telling me who the other Lune is. Do I need to start guessing people? Is it even someone I know?”

Lauren stood in front of Kym, conflicted. She knew she wouldn’t tell anyone, and if she was going to, she would have already said she knew Lauren was one half of Lune. She trusted Kym, but she didn’t want her to get tied into this. It was already too late to take back admitting she’s part of Lune, but it wasn’t too late to not mention Kieran’s the other half.

It’s been many months since Kieran became an archivist. Lauren never wanted Kym and Will to become friends with him. She never wanted them to meet him. In their eyes, he’s just a soft, pure, coffee-making archivist. And someone they can call a friend.

_They don’t know the real him. But, I do. And I haven’t even said anything._

“It’s Kieran, isn’t it?” Kym asked suddenly.

Lauren was taken aback. _How did she guess? Did she read my mind?_ “Wh-what? No, of course not.”

Kym raised her eyebrows.

Lauren took a deep breath. “Okay, you’re right. Kieran and I are Lune.”

Her face was still, like she was deep in thought. Then, a huge grin grew on her face. “Okay but that’s actually really cool. You’re a power couple duo that take down criminals.”

“Alright, maybe not call us that.”

“But that’s what you are.”

Lauren shook her head.

Luckily, Kym caught on. “Are you... not dating?”

“And thank goodness we’re not. Finally, I can say it,” Lauren exclaimed. “It’s been a cover up that _he_ came up with without my input. Let’s just say it’s been pain since that first lie.”

“Oh,” Kym sighed dramatically. “Well, that’s too bad. I was really rooting for both of you.”

Lauren had to stop herself from visibly cringing.

“I should bring this up to him in the morning. Unless you want to.”

“Oh, yeah, I guess you can. But, no one else. We really can’t have anyone else knowing.”

She felt guilty knowing Kym now knows, but they’re still going to keep it from Will.

Kym yawned, her eyes lolling. “Looks like the adrenaline wore off,” she plopped down on the floor and closed her eyes.

“Oh, goodnight,” Lauren laughed and sat back in her chair.

“I wanna teleport to my bed.”

“Did you at least finish some paperwork?”

Kym nodded slowly.

“Well, that’s good. Are you heading home?”

“The thing is I don’t want to get up,” Kym leaned back and laid on the floor. “I just want to lay here.”

Lauren chuckled at her friend. “Okay, I’m waking you up when I leave.”

She gave a sleepy thumbs up.

Lauren picked up her pencil, and continued writing with a sleeping Kym on the ground next to her.

She sighed. _I didn’t want her to know._ She glanced at her innocent friend. _I don’t want her to be in danger._

All Lauren knew is, they couldn’t let word get out about any of the secrets she keeps. Or else, a storm will erupt.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kym confronts Kieran about how she knows he's part of Lune, but he misunderstands, and all the friendship he finally achieved could be lost forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Never trust happiness in PH, as we know from experience that it doesn't last.  
> Hope you enjoy!

Kym’s P.O.V.

It was early morning, and Kym was the only one in the office, trying to complete some last minute paperwork. It hasn’t fully hit her that she guessed the identities of Lune correctly.

She smirked.  _ Either they weren’t hiding it so well or I’m too smart for my own good. I should quit being a sergeant and become a detective. _

The office door opened to Kieran walking in. He smiled and shut the door behind him. “Oh, hey Kym! I didn’t know you were going to be here this early.”

“Welcome, welcome,” she posed a dramatic expression on her face, elbows on the desk, fingers pressed together. “I’ve been expecting you.”

“With a watermelon I see,” gesturing to it in front of her. “Of course, of course.”

“What else would you expect from me?”

“Well, clearly one isn’t enough. I was expecting you would have maybe three or four.”

Kym grinned, an eyebrow raised. “Childsplay. How dare you assume I don’t have ten more stashed in my desk?”

“Fair. I should have known,” he stood in front of her desk where she sat. “And, uh, is Lauren here? I wanted to talk to her about something. And were you actually expecting me, or…?”

“No, I don’t think she’s here yet. And I didn’t know you were going to be here at this time, no, but I do want to talk about something.”

“Consider me intrigued.”

“So, just to be clear, I’m not mad, I support you, and I understand,” Kym took a breath. “Lauren told me who you are, like your secret identity.”

Kieran’s eyes, mouth, posture, everything about him went blank. He avoided eye contact and stared at the floor. It was a little unsettling to see, as Kym has never seen him this frozen. He looked hurt in a way. Betrayed.

_ Why is he taking so long to answer? _

He finally looked up and met her gaze. “Lauren… told you I’m the Purple Hyacinth?”

The blood in Kym’s body went cold. Her eyes shot open, stumbled in her chair, thoughts whirring in her head.

_ No. He can’t be- He’s- _

_ “You,” _ she spat the word. “ _ You’re  _ the Purple Hyacinth?”

Worry flashed like lightning on Kieran’s face. “Isn’t that what she told you?”

“No! We were talking about Lune!”

Kieran turned his tense expression into a grin. “Ah yeah, sorry about that, I was also talking about Lune. The Purple Hyacinth thing was a joke-”

Kym sprung out of her chair. “ _ Don’t  _ try to twist your words with me! You- you’re…”

_ A murderer. _

For the first time in a long time, Kym’s mouth forbade her to speak. She was speechless. For months, the most dangerous criminal in Ardhalis has been working with the police, who didn’t know he was in their very own office this whole time.

“Did the Phantom Scythe send you? To kill us all? If the whole department gets killed, there’s no one left to arrest Phantom Scythe members and get in the way. Is that their plan? And you’re the one that’s going to do it-”

_"Kym,"_ Kieran’s icy eyes pierced into hers. The way he looked at her in this moment almost made her feel a bit uneasy. “If I wanted to kill everyone here I would have done so already.”

“How do I know you’re not lying? You’ve been lying since you got here. I bet you don’t even want to be here. You’ve probably been  _ waiting  _ for the order from the leader to kill us.”

“You want to know why I’m here? Fine. I’m here because the leader sent me to spy since the previous one was killed.”

“Previous one?”

“So Lauren didn’t tell you? Of course, why would she? She didn’t tell you about me. It was Harvey. Harvey was a spy for the Phantom Scythe. And I’m his replacement.”

Kym’s jaw dropped.  _ No. Harvey? _

She clenched it again. “You’re just trying to fool me. I won’t let you fool me again.”

“You believe me. I know you do,” he still stared into her soul as if he wanted to hypnotize and control her thoughts.

Then, it looked like something clicked in him, and he tried to release the tension and relax his eyes and shoulders. “But, that’s not all. The leader did send me to kill, but not everyone in the office. I’m supposed to find Lune and kill them.”

_ Find Lune? But he’s Lune- _

“Lauren,”  _ He’s going to kill her. _ Kym let her hand slip to the gun on her waist. “I won’t let you harm her. She doesn’t need protection though. I bet she could defeat you herself.”

“Kym, listen to me. I  _ don’t  _ want to kill anyone,” he said slowly and softly. 

“So it looks like I’m just an obstacle now.” Kym outstretched her arms to her sides. “Come on,  _ Purple Hyacinth.  _ There’s no one in this office to see you finish me off,” Kym sneered.

“I know you won’t ever look at me the same after this, and I get it. And you were right. When I first came here, it’s true, I didn’t want to be here. But, after meeting everyone like you, Will, Lila, even Lukas, and everyone else here, I found myself looking forward to coming back each morning. That feeling… is something I haven’t felt in a long time.”

For a moment, Kym’s anger was replaced with something different. Empathy, maybe? Standing before her was someone who was her friend. She enjoyed his company, and she liked to think he enjoyed hers.

But that doesn’t excuse anything. He’s still killed hundreds of innocent people with no remorse.

_ Maybe he does have regrets. _

Kym shook her head.  _ No. I can’t start thinking the best right now. _

“I hope you know I can’t just keep this a secret. I have to turn you in, Kieran.”

His eyes showed dismay. “I would let you, but I can’t. I can’t afford to be caught.”

His hand reached towards his pocket, and at lightning speed, Kym drew out her gun, and aimed it at the criminal.

“What are you-”

“Take your hand out of your pocket,” she eyed his hand as he slowly pulled it out.

“I’m not armed, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

Still aiming her gun at Kieran, Kym wanted to burst into tears. He’s her friend. But he’s also the Purple Hyacinth. The police haven't been able to catch him for years. This was her chance to be a superhero. To arrest the killer terrorizing Ardhalis. He would be locked away forever.

_ Do I want that? _

Kieran’s demeanor seemed eerily calm at this moment. Like he knew she didn’t want to kill or arrest him.

Kym tried to force the anguish in her voice to stay hidden. “Why? What was the point of befriending us only for me to find out you’re a killer? To act innocent and pure when you’re the complete opposite. I actually had my suspicions for a while, but I didn’t want to believe it. I wanted to be wrong. When anyone would mention the PH in the office, something about you seemed different from everyone else’s reactions. At first I was thinking that he might’ve been responsible for the death of a family member or friend, but then I remembered Lauren’s description of him. Male, tall, slim but strong, probably in his twenties or thirties, and that he only carried a sword.”

Kieran looked down at the floor, avoiding eye contact.

But Kym still had more to say. “And then I remembered that comment you made when you first got the archivist job. You said you don’t use guns. The Purple Hyacinth never uses guns, according to the wounds of all the lives he… you took. I didn’t want to be right this time. Why did I have to be right?”

Kieran still stayed silent. It was as if he thought talking would make it worse. As if he would say the wrong thing. As if something similar to this has happened before.

Anyone could pop in the room and see she has her gun pointed at the archivist, and ask her why. Would she mention what she knows? Who he is? She has to.

_ But, wouldn’t it be easier… if the world was safe from him? Alive, he can escape prison. But, dead, _ her finger nudged the trigger,  _ then we know for sure he won’t harm anyone anymore. _

Flashbacks of her role model surged through her mind. They were everything she wanted to be. They helped people. They saved lives. They were the owner of her watch. They were a superhero.

Her finger clicked off the trigger. “Killing you isn’t what I need to do. But, I do have to lock you away.”

“I’ll be able to escape. If I made it to the fifteenth floor of the tower, I can escape a simple prison.”

Kym blinked her eyes and wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.  _ Why did he mention that so casually? Is that supposed to be a threat? _

_ This isn’t Kieran. This is the Purple Hyacinth. _

_ No, they’re the same person. I can’t believe they’re the same person. I thought I knew him. Did I ever even truly know him? _

__ “The way you say that so nonchalantly makes it seem like you enjoy being feared by the citizens of Ardhalis. Tell me Purple Hyacinth. Do you like being the monster that you are?”

And that moment, that sentence, that  _ word, _ is when the stone-like expression on Kieran’s face was replaced with a smirk and cackled. “You know, it’s absurd how often history seems to repeat itself.”

The door was shoved open, revealing Lauren with Will right behind her.

“Officer! So nice of you to join us,” Kieran mocked. “Impeccable timing, as always. It’s a shame I’m not sitting in a chair reading a good book right now.”

Lauren faced the sergeant. “Kym. What did you just say?”

Will’s hand gestured towards the weapon. “Kym, lower your gun.”

“I want to, but he’s…”

She wanted to warm them, but how would she tell them? That the most treacherous assassin of Ardhalis has been right in front of them this whole time. Someone that they thought they knew.

“Is this about Lune?” Lauren asked. “You weren’t angry when I told you last night.”

Will looked back and forth between the two. “Wait, you both know who Lune is?”

“No… it’s about the Purple Hyacinth. Kieran… is the Purple Hyacinth.”

Will almost stumbled, his eyes and mouth wide, but Lauren just looked still, her eyes focused on Kieran. She didn’t look the least bit shocked, and her gaze looked like she was making sure he didn't move.

And then it clicked.

“You knew.”

Lauren slowly brought her eyes to Kym. Her golden eyes were full of guilt.

“How long have you known?” Kym was afraid to hear the answer. Kym lowered her gun, to avoid accidentally pulling the trigger out of surprise.

Lauren sighed and responded, “The night of De La Rocca’s death. Remember when I chased after the assassin who turned out to be the Purple Hyacinth? That’s when I met Kieran.”

_ That was a month before he became the archivist. _

Kieran had his back turned towards the three of them, staying silent again.  _ What was that just now? Something I said triggered him to make him act that way. _

She turned back to Lauren. “You’ve known this whole time? Were you even going to say something? Did you also know Harvey was a spy for the Phantom Scythe?”

“What?” Will exclaimed. “Harvey was a spy?”

Lauren looked like she was trying to avoid eye contact. “I wanted to protect you both. The whole office, actually.”

“Protecting us is telling us that there was a spy working with us. And now there’s another one. Now it just looks like you’re trying to protect him,” She pointed at Kieran.

Will never showed extreme emotions, but now, his face had a mix of anger, sorrow, and confusement.

“Why didn’t you tell us? The  _ Purple Hyacinth  _ has been in our very own office, and you never said anything? You just watched us… all those times we all hung out after work… you never even told us who we were becoming friends with.”

Lauren’s eyebrows were furrowed.“I know there’s nothing I can say right now to make up for everything… I just… it killed me that I couldn’t say anything.”

Kym knew she was telling the truth. Lauren had a good heart, and she wouldn’t team up with the most notorious assassin of Ardhalis for no reason.

The glare Lauren gave him also gave Kym a hint about the two Lune members. She didn’t want to team up with him. She looked like she despised him.

Was she forced to team up with him?

Kym remembered the day Lauren saw Kieran at the office when he arrived. She was shocked to see him there, and Kym knew it was more than just surprise that another archivist was about to work with them.

If they were teamed up as Lune and shared information to catch Phantom Scythe members, wouldn’t she have known he was going to work at the office? Why didn’t he tell her?

She saw a look of fear. She didn’t think much of it at the time, but now it all makes sense.

Something must have happened between them.

Kieran turned around, and had the blank expression on his face once again.

Kym’s usually warm brown eyes turned cold, and looked him dead in his eyes. “You did something. You threatened or hurt her. Or maybe both.”

He hesitated. “No, of course not.”

That got a reaction out of Lauren. It was a look as if she heard a lie.

Kym’s eyes darted to her. “Did he lie?” Then back to Kieran. “Did you harm her?”

He glanced at Lauren, then at the floor. “No,” it was almost a whisper.

Lauren had the look again.

“Was that another lie?”

Lauren glared at Kieran, fury on her face. “Yes. It was a lie.”

_ What did he do? _

She almost went to aim her gun at him again, but fought against it. What if anger took over and she accidentally… wounded or killed him. After all, she never misses her target.

But she couldn’t just ignore the fact that he lied. “ _ What _ did you do? I swear, if you lay even a  _ hand  _ on her, I won’t put my gun down like I did this time.”

Kieran's shoulders tensed a little. “I really… messed up. But Lauren and I have talked, and I told her she doesn’t have to worry anymore. What happened won’t happen again.”

It was all too much. It felt like things were going to start crumbling. She didn’t want things to crumble. She wanted everything to stay happy.

_ It was all a lie. They weren’t even happy with each other to begin with. _

“I need to go think. Nobody leave or follow me. I’ll be back,” she left the room, shut the door behind her, and dashed out of the police department.

She sprinted on the streets and sidewalks, wishing she had wings to travel faster.

She wanted and needed to calm herself. She wasn’t feeling like herself.

She slowed her pace as she reached the music. The gentle, relaxing melody that she turned to in her darkest moments.

The music box.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to the main four for blowing up the trust and happiness that I imagine they had before in this fic.  
> I think a lot about how it's going to go down in PH whenever Kym and Will find out Kieran's the Purple Hyacinth, and how Kieran and Lauren are going to deal with it, seeing as they already know. All I know, is Soph will have her mug ready for our tears. Wait, Eph needs a mug too.  
> Hope you enjoyed!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you find out your friend is a killer, and that your other friend knew for months, it can be hard to decide how to process everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all the Kywi shippers out there... who should be everyone just saying hehe  
> Hope you enjoy!

Will’s P.O.V.

Will never would have guessed in a million years that  _ Kieran White  _ would be the Purple Hyacinth.

He seemed like the last person who would be a killer.

_ That was probably his plan. He’s a good actor, which is unsettling. _

And Lauren knew. She knew this whole time.

He felt his hand ball into a fist.  _ How could they just hide something as big as this? _

Lauren looked at her friend. “Will-”

“I uh- I’m going to go after Kym,” on instincts, he raced after her. He wasn’t even really sure why. Maybe it was because she looked troubled, or because he also needed to think as well.

_ Where could she be? _

She said she needed to go think. Where could that be-

“The music box,” Will breathed.

He dashed down the streets where he ran after Kym when they found Harvey’s dead body.

And then, he saw her.

Like last time, she had a somber gaze, her palm pressed against the glass, and was the opposite of her usual personality.

He felt creepy just staring at her in the distance, so he approached her.

He tread quietly over to Kym, not wanting to startle her. Music box still playing, he stood next to her and stared at it with her.

Then, it stopped, and Kym slowly dropped her hand to her side.

“I told you not to follow me. Why did you come?”

Will didn’t know how to answer, since he didn’t know if he knew it himself.

“I, uh, wanted to make sure you were okay. A lot just happened and-”

Before he could finish, she dove into his arms, wrapped her arms around him, and buried her face in his shoulder.

“K-Kym?”

“Let’s just, stay like this,” she murmured.

Will couldn’t help but feel stunned.  _ Kym Ladell,  _ the sergeant who always purposely annoys him, chose to  _ hug  _ him for comfort.

Last time was an accident, but this time she chose to.

He felt awkward just standing there with his arms at his sides, so he slowly wrapped them around her.

They stood in silence under the morning sky, until Kym exhaled deeply.

“What am I doing? Why did I do that?”

“Do what?”

“Fall in your arms. Again.”

“Oh, it’s okay. I… don’t mind.”

Kym didn’t know what she was doing, and Will didn’t know what he was saying. He felt obligated to push her away, but just couldn’t. It wouldn’t be right, seeing as what was revealed just now.

He also didn’t want to for some reason.

Will felt more weight on his shoulder, as Kym buried her face deeper.

“Out of everyone in Ardhalis, why does  _ he  _ have to be the Purple Hyacinth?” Kym asked softly.

“I’ve been asking myself the same question.”

Will has always seen Kieran as the friendly, happy-go-lucky guy that hands out coffee each morning. And once he got to know him, he grew fond of him and could consider him a friend.

But now? How could he remain friends with the Purple Hyacinth? How could he keep this to himself?

“And Lauren… she knew,” he heard Kym’s voice break a little. “She knew this whole time.”

He’s known Lauren since they were kids, and never did she keep as big of a secret as this.

_ Not that I know of, anyway. _

She never lied to him, and he never lied to her. That’s just how it went.

But now that’s all shattered.

“How does she know?” Will asked. “No one outside of the Phantom Scythe knows the face of the Purple Hyacinth. Except her.”

“I’m not sure, she didn’t say and I didn’t ask,” Kym’s voice was muffled by her face against her shoulder. “I’m guessing it has something to do with their Lune partnership.”

_ W-what? Did she just say- _

“They’re Lune? Both Lauren and Kieran?”

Kym nodded.

“Of course it’s them. Of course Lune happens to be right under our noses. Lune  _ and  _ the Purple Hyacinth. We’re supposed to be the police and we can’t even…” he groaned with frustration.

“What are we going to do, Will?” Kym’s voice was quiet.

Will sighed. He wished he knew the answer. It made it ten times harder because Lauren and Kieran are their friends. But, Hermann believes that he and Kym can find Lune. He didn’t want to let him down, but he didn’t want to betray Lauren like that. Even if she had already betrayed them first.

“I don’t know about Lune yet, but we do need to say we know who the Purple Hyacinth is. Lune is one thing, but the PH… Kieran… is a mass murderer. I couldn’t live with myself knowing who he is, and where the rest of the office doesn’t.”

Kym didn’t respond right away, and when she did, her voice was still full of pain that it seemed she wanted to hide. “How were we so wrong about him? Even Lauren…”

In this moment, is when Will realized he would rather have Kym non-stop annoy him then see her upset like this. It hurt that he couldn’t help her as much as he wanted to.

“What did I do?” she whispered. “That wasn’t me, Will. I don’t know what happened. I- I thought about… killing him. What was I thinking?”

She gripped the back of his shirt harder than before, made a slight whimper, then jumped away from him, making his arms drop to his sides again. “Ah, sorry, I…” she put her hands in front of her eyes.

_ Is she crying? I’ve never seen Kym cry before. _

His hands reached hers and drove them away from her face. Her usual bright chestnut brown eyes were now glossy and dripped with tears, streaming down her cheeks.

Still holding her hands in his between them, he softly said, “You don’t have to apologize.”

Her round eyes gazed up at him, blinking tears away. “Of course it’s you that I’m crying to.”

“Is that a good or bad thing?”

“Before I would’ve said bad, but you’re not… terrible at this.” She looked like she wanted to smile, but where it felt wrong to do so.

“At what?”

She shrugged lightly. “At comforting me.”

“Oh, um,” he let go of her hands, reaching one of his towards the back of his neck. “It’s nothing, really. You seemed like you needed it. And I just happened to be here.”

“I guess I should thank you. You didn’t need to run after me, but you did. So… thank you.”

_ Did she just… thank me? _

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m sure you would do the same for me, I would hope.”

Kym’s eyes shot open and clapped her hands on the sides of her head. “Oh no! Oh, I really messed up. I shouldn’t have ran all this way.”

“Hey, it’s alright. You said it first, I didn’t need to run after you, but I chose to-”

“No, I mean Kieran. He knows we know now, and that we might tell the rest of the APD. He’s not going to let himself get caught. He hasn’t been for seven years. Don’t you see? He’s going to escape. And I don’t know if Lauren would stop him or let him. And then he’s never going to come back and he won’t be arrested and I don’t know if that’s good or bad or-”

She stopped abruptly. “I don’t want to waste any more time talking. We should run.”

Kym yanked Will’s hand as a sign that she wanted to sprint back to the office.

So together they raced back, hoping to stop Kieran from leaving. Then maybe, they can all talk about what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this made me realize that I can't wait for when Kym and Will start to open up to each other and hug and waaa it's going to be so good :')  
> Hope you enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kieran is used to things going wrong for him. He should be used to it, but he doesn't want to be. He wants to make it all right again, but knows he can't. So what does he do? Make another deal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the forth and last chapter of this mini-fic.  
> Hope you enjoy it!

Kieran’s P.O.V.

  
  


This was not how Kieran expected his morning to go. He thought it was going to be like every morning at the APD. 

But now, he let it slip that he’s the Purple Hyacinth, which might risk his friendship with Kym and Will, and enrage Lauren.

_ I almost snapped again too. I did, just not to that same extent. _

_ Way to go, Kieran. You’re a natural at this. _

He wanted to punch a wall, and the ground, and throw a lamp, but Lauren was still in the room. And he didn’t want her to see him like that.

_ What was that earlier?  _

“ _ So Lauren didn’t tell you? Of course, why would she? She didn’t tell you about me.” _

_ Why did I say that? I’m not even mad at her. _

Deep down, he knew what he meant.

He was mad at himself for making the deal with her. For being a part of her life. If they never met, she wouldn’t have this burden waiting to crush her.

He wasn’t mad at Kym and Will either. He wishes he never let them become friends with him in the first place. Then maybe, all this would be avoided.

Lauren glared at him and threw daggers with her eyes. “Why did you tell her?”

Kieran gulped.  _ She looks furious. I wouldn’t be surprised if she kicked me again.  _ “I didn’t mean to. I thought that’s what she meant.”

She threw her arms in the air. “Have you lost your brain? Why would you ever bring that up if she didn’t first? Are you stupid?”

Kieran averted his gaze away from her as she stomped closer to him.

“Do you even understand what you did?” she sounded like she was struggling to not raise her voice more than it already was. They couldn’t afford to have anyone hear them. “They weren’t supposed to know. Now they also know that I know and-”

His mind drowned her words out and replaced them with memories from the cave. The memories that are always lingering.

He closed his eyes and saw his arm reach and clasp her throat, forcing her to stop talking. She gripped his arm, trying to fight it off, but he wasn’t letting go.

“Are you even listening to me?”

Her voice made his eyes shoot open back to reality. He could feel himself shaking, after seeing what could happen if she kept talking.

He couldn’t trust himself.

“Lauren, stop-”

“How careless can you be? You might’ve just cost me my friends’ trust. Not only that, but what if they start distancing themselves from me. I don’t care if you wanted this to happen, but I swear, if I lose my friends-”

“Wait-”

“I won’t lose them!”

“Stop it!” he raised his voice to get her attention.

She looked at him with disgust. “Excuse me?”

He lowered his voice. “I don’t want a repeat of… you know. Last time.”

_ I don’t want to hurt you,  _ is what he really wanted to say.

When she didn’t respond, he found the opportunity to say what he wanted to say.

“I didn’t want them to know either, Lauren. I don’t know why you think I did, but I don’t. I…”

Nothing he could say could make the situation better. But he had to try. “For seven years, I never thought I would… find humanity again. I didn’t think it was possible to really enjoy people and be able to call them… friends. Please, I need you to believe me when I say I didn’t want this. I know I messed up and there's nothing I can do to fix it. I know that. And I get it if they don’t want to see me again. I get it if you never want to see me again. I know you would rather not have to, but we work together now. But, like I said all those months ago, I’m not asking you to forgive me.”

His words hardly phased her. “Good, because I don’t want to forgive you. I’m actually done dealing with you. I know we still need to stop the Phantom Scythe from bombing the ball, but I can do it myself. I don’t need your help anymore.”

Her words cut through him like a knife, and repeatedly stabbed him.

_ Why am I allowing myself to be hurt by her? I know she’s right. She didn’t need my help with sneaking into Carmine Camelia. _

“I know. Here, I want to make one last deal.” He didn’t want to say this, but it was for the best. He took a breath, and said, “I will resign from my archivist job, and I won’t ever return. If I ever see you around, I won’t approach you. I’ll still continue on finding the leader with you, just separately.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that if you don’t want to see me again, I’ll understand. We can go our separate ways, so I won’t be able to hurt you anymore.”

Her eyes were pensive, until she looked back at him. “What do you want in return?”

“Let me leave and don’t turn me in. I know it’s selfish, but I just can’t go to prison. Being the Purple Hyacinth, taking hundreds of lives… all that would go to waste if I never get to take down the leader. I know you know how I feel,” he stuck his hand out in front of him. “Just shake my hand and I’ll know what to do.”

She glanced at his hand, but looked away.

Then he remembered again. “Oh, right. That was inconsiderate of me.”

Before he put his hand down, she whipped her arm out and shook it, and glared in his eyes. “It’s a deal.”

He felt his heart sink. Now, among all his regrets, was added a new one. Making a deal he didn’t even want.

_ She has every reason to take this deal. _

“Why?” Lauren asked.

“Why no blood this time? Well, I figured it was safer,” Kieran chuckled.

But that laugh was a lie.

Good thing she couldn’t hear them as lies.

“Don’t try to avoid my question. You know what I’m asking.”

He knew he couldn’t dodge it. “I mean it Lauren. I don’t want to hurt you anymore. I don’t want to hurt Kym and Will either,” he sighed. “I’ve already done that though.”

She had that look that she did in the Carmine Carmine locker room. That look of surprise that he’s saying these things.

He glanced at the wall instead of her. “It’s not fair for you to have to see me every day. You shouldn’t have to live with the…  _ trauma _ … that I gave you.”

Against his mind and common sense, he reached out and brushed his fingers against her face. “There’s something I want to tell you.”

She flinched, but was quickly able to release the tension.

“I don’t know why I hesitated with killing you when we first met, but for the first time in years, it made me feel human again,” he smiled softly. “Thank you, Lauren. I wish I could take certain things back, but I’m glad I met you. I don’t regret sparing you, even if the Phantom Scythe ever finds out.”

She still didn’t respond, but only stared in disbelief with her stunned, golden eyes.

“What?” he asked, still smiling.

“I just… didn’t know you would be willing to do that. To stay away from me to keep you from endangering my friends and I.”

“Yeah, well, I have many surprises up my sleeves,” he dropped his hand back to his side.

_ What did I get myself into? I don’t want this to be the last time I talk to her. _

“You know, if you don’t want this, just tell me and I can break this deal-”

“I think you better go. The others will probably be arriving soon, so if you want to leave before Kym and Will tell them, then you should go.”

There she was again, stabbing him over and over.

_ I don’t know why I thought there was a chance she would want to break it. _

“I’ll have to come back somehow to resign, so if you see me back here, know it’s because of that,” he smirked. “So don’t kick me again. My ribs hurt for days after that.”

“Ha!” Lauren laughed. She covered her mouth as if she didn’t mean to laugh out loud. “That’s kind of funny though. You deserved that.”

“I know.”

He didn’t want to leave. But he knew he only caused pain when he’s around. It was a sacrifice he had to make. His happiness for theirs.

“So, thank you, for making me feel human again,” he started to walk backwards. “Thank Kym and Will also, would you? They helped too.”

He hasn’t hugged anyone in years, but he wanted to hug Lauren as one last goodbye. But that was overstepping it.

He turned away from her heading to the window. “Wait, am I just jumping out the window?”

“Are you trying to look suspicious? You can just leave through the door, no one’s here yet.”

He wasn’t sure if she were teasing or taunting him, but she had the tone of voice that she had during their first mission as Lune.

_ Oh how I’ll miss that. _

He walked towards the door, opened it, and looked back at her.

“Try not to miss me too much, officer.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, subordinate.”

He glanced at her one last time, then closed the door between them.

_ I’ll really miss you. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed these chapters! I'm glad I finally finished, as they've been waiting there for a couple months.  
> I actually want to continue with another four chapters, as I've thought of ideas for them, but if I do, they'll have to wait for when I finish other fics for the prompts and things :)  
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
